“And so this is what our league wants. OK. But I want to call for a change in leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. It’s bad for the game,” said Cheryl Reeve when addressing the referees after Game 3 of the Semi-Finals. The Lynx head coach was especially upset over the referees not handing out a foul to Alyssa Thomas, whose actions led to Napheesa Collier being injured, and, when the coach complained, causing Reeve to be ejected and then suspended from the next game.

Now, with the Phoenix Mercury having lost 2 consecutive games in the WNBA Finals, we learn that what gave Thomas an advantage in that game has now turned into a weakness.

During the post-game presser, Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts addressed the concerns that were raised about the officiating on Alyssa Thomas. The player has continued her physical play in the Finals. The only difference is that she is not getting the same results as she was in the other playoff matchups, thanks to the Aces’ strong defense. Despite that, the HC made it clear that he doesn’t want to hold back Thomas. In fact, he blamed the referees for the fact that her player wasn’t doing well.

“There is no holding back AT (Thomas),” Tibbetts said. “She is who she is. That’s why we love her. That’s why she’s the player that she is. The thing that I just get disappointed in is hearing our officials say that she’s hard to officiate because she plays so physical. AT is going to be AT. We want her to be AT because she’s a hell of a player. We want her playing with that downhill force.”

Despite being on the court for 30 minutes, Alyssa Thomas could only score 10 points, along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. On the shooting front, she made 5-9 (55.6%) field goals, 0-0 (0%) 3-pointers, and 0-0 (0%) free throws. This is the same player who averaged 20.3 points in the Semi-Finals series against the Minnesota Lynx and 16.3 in the first round series against the New York Liberty.

The frustration was apparent on the Phoenix Mercury squad’s faces over the Aces’ defense. One sequence that gave an insight into the same occurred late in the first quarter, when Kahleah Copper missed a layup, got her own rebound, and then missed again. Alyssa Thomas got the rebound and tried to shoot the ball, but was blocked by Chelsea Gray.

Alyssa Thomas is used to playing physically. As her Mercury teammate and fiancée, DeWanna Bonner said, “She wants to win. She wants to win the championship bad. She’ll do whatever it takes.” Even Becky Hammon revealed being aware of the same by stating, “Alyssa Thomas is the one player in the league that could probably switch and play professional football. I can’t really simulate her. … She’s just a different animal in our league.”

Therefore, there is a good chance Hammon and the Aces formed defensive strategies by specifically keeping Thomas in mind. That, combined with referees being unable to help the Mercury star, put her and her team at a disadvantage.

Well, what happened in Game 2 cannot be reversed. If nothing can be done about the officiating, then Alyssa Thomas and co will have to try something else.

Alyssa Thomas Holds Hope While Sending a Message To Mercury Squad To Do Better

In the aftermath of the 78-91 loss, Alyssa Thomas spoke to media members. During the same, she admitted, “I think we weren’t good on both sides of the ball today. They definitely had our number today. Fortunately for us, it’s best to seven. If it’s best to five, we could be facing elimination. We got to watch the video. We’re going home, we have two home-court advantage games, and we have to be better.”

Alyssa Thomas wasn’t the only one at fault during this recent matchup. After all, the Mercury squad, as a whole, allowed the Aces to shoot 47.7% (52-109) from the floor. This also included 13-37 (35.1%) from the 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Mercury shot just 40.7% (42-103) from the floor since halftime of the series opener. This included a bleak 23.4% (11-47) from the 3-point range.

If that wasn’t enough, even the Aces’ bench was better, since they outscored Phoenix’s reserves for the second straight game by a 16-8 difference. Therefore, having seen the lapses, Thomas revealed being confident that someone will provide a spark during Game 3, which takes place on Wednesday.

“We’ve seen it all playoffs long, all season long,” Thomas added. “Yeah, we’re not. We’re not worried about that.”

Alyssa Thomas herself might be reviewing video to see where she could improve. Whether she will improve upon her physical plays or try something new in Game 3 is something that remains to be seen.